December

December was a busy month...it just flew by! It started with one of college roommates wedding...

hydrangeas from her reception

she had a photo booth at the wedding.  me and my other roommate and her son

Celebrating my sister's birthday!

J and the girls

Some lovely gifts that I received for Christmas

homemade dill pickles

new coffee cup from anthropologie

caramel pretzel pecan goodies

Christmas Eve

the girls waiting patiently

Christmas Dinner!

cranberry rugelach

Christmas gathering with friends

Quick trip to SF

these were in our room :)  so cute!

lovely view on our hike

union square

bi-rite creamery...http://biritecreamery.com/

all the kiddos

A on the hike

Christmas Family Party at E's work

It's December

I love this Christmas tree.  I've been wanting to get one in a planter like this. 

southern living

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. I am still recovering from Thanksgiving.

Some lovely things...

terrain

terrain

west elm

anthropologie

ariel gordon

November

November is coming to an end which means I've turned another year older. I am starting to feel my age...27 ;)

my lovely and tasty birthday cake

Thanksgiving has come and gone. For our family, Thanksgiving started on the 20th. We peeled, boiled, and mashed 40 pounds of potatoes for church. Yes, real potatoes none of that powdered stuff.

My sister had Thanksgiving at her house. We started the morning off with some goodies.

my sister made sweet and savory crepes

I made cinnamon rolls

Dinner!

For dessert, I made dark chocolate brownies, peanut butter cookies, and a Korean style sweet potato pie.

gogoma pie...& yes, i make my own crust :)

Just a little something I baked for A's teacher

We also had dinner with the in laws.  We had Ina's panko crusted salmon with lots of grilled veggies!  I was busy cooking so I forgot to take pictures. 

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 

Radish kimchee

I've been experimenting with making radish kimchee. My first batch came out tasteless. It didn't taste like anything...basically I needed more of everything. The first batch, after I let the radish sit in salt I just added all the ingredients. My second batch I tried a different method. I made a sweet rice flour and water paste (like a roux but without the fat). It turned out much better. I am going to make my third batch today. Hopefully, three times a charm.

hello there!

The holidays are quickly approaching. My sister and I were discussing the menu tonight. It got me all excited for the holidays. I love looking for and trying new recipes. I promise to document it all and post it.

Recently, I made these favors for my friend's bridal shower.

thanks Karen for the pics!

 

It's Friday Night...

It's Friday night and I've been in my pj's since 8...yup you read that right 8pm. 

Some lovely things..

macaroons!

love knot rings by Finn

M Hulot graphite garrard clutch

Brown Sugar Cookies

School is in full swing and so are A's behaviors.  On top of that, she got sick last week and was out for 4 days.  A did not talk for 1 day, which if you know her is so unusual.  It was strange to be living in a quiet house. Next month marks her year 4 of talking.  Yes, she was non verbal until she was 5.  She still has a long way to go, but I am always thankful for the small and big steps she takes. 


My camera died in Yosemite.  Canon's company repair shop happens to be 10 minutes away.  Their estimate for my point and shoot camera was $120 to fix...hmm that was an easy decision.  I left with my broken camera.  Now, I need to figure out what kind of camera to purchase.  The only other working camera is A's.  I am still researching and figuring out which camera to purchase. 


Planning...two friends are getting married.  I hosted one bridal brunch several weeks back and in about 3 weeks another bridal shower at a tea house. 

 Because I love Joy The Baker & brown sugar I made these cookies.  


Brown Sugar Cookies
from Epicurious September 2011


2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups of toffee bits or dark chocolate


In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside.
Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed for one minute more.


Add the dry ingredients, all at once, to the butter and sugar mixture.  Beat on low speed until the dough begins to come together  and the flour disappears.  Stop the mixer and finish incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.  Finally add the toffee bits or dark chocolate.  Once all the flour is thoroughly mixed in, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


Place a rack in the center and upper third of the over and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cookies will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 5 days.